


You Don't Need a Crystal Ball

by Duck_Life



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Epilogue, Family, Future Fic, Gen, Growing Old, Parent Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-30 11:55:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20096842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duck_Life/pseuds/Duck_Life
Summary: The barrier comes down. Life goes on.





	You Don't Need a Crystal Ball

**Author's Note:**

> I started this two years ago and then after watching D3 added the end.

Carlos said once, after that disastrous cotillion that kind of turned out alright, that he didn’t feel like he had to be scared about the future anymore. He stood with an arm around Evie, Mal beside him with her head on Jay’s shoulder, and looked over the railing of the ship at the blue-black water and its reflection of the moon. He said that after everything, because of everything that happened,  _ despite _ everything that happened, he finally felt safe. He wasn’t afraid of the future, and he finally felt like the four of them actually  _ had _ a future.

It looks like this: Mal with a green streak in her hair because Dizzy Tremaine wanted to try something, Evie dancing at a royal ball in the gown of her dreams, Jay whooping and hoisting Lonnie onto his shoulders as she waves around the tourney cup, Carlos curled up in front of a fireplace while Dude snoozes beside him. 

It looks like this: Mal releasing a small green lizard into the woods and never seeing it again, Evie staring in the mirror and loving the woman she sees, Jay returning to the Isle to bury his father and leaving all his resentment under the dirt with him, Carlos never forgiving and never forgetting but moving on regardless. 

It’s Mal shouting at Ben, “I don’t want any crowns! I don’t want any castles. And I don’t want to get married  _ ever _ to anyone. You understand that? I want to do what  _ I _ want to do.” 

It’s Ben holding her and kissing her and saying, “Okay, okay.” 

It’s their wedding, a year after that, when Mal finally finds the right shade of purple and Ben finally finds the right words to say. His parents give Mal a crown designed specifically for her, and Ben makes sure she knows that she never, ever has to wear it if she doesn’t want to.

She loves it. 

It’s Evie, decorating her very own castle with curtains she made herself and ornate grandfather clocks that chirp cheerful tunes every hour. The halls are huge and never empty. 

It’s Jay’s daughter asking Carlos if she can pet his dog, and it’s Carlos telling her that Princess is a working dog and they’re not supposed to distract her. He shows her the golden retriever’s special vest, and then he tells her she’s free to pet and play with any of the other dogs at his shelter. 

The future looks like this: Mal swearing she’ll raise children who don’t need to recover from their childhoods, Evie showing up on television regularly alongside her famous stepsister, Jay taking the tourney coach position at Auradon Prep, Carlos designing an app to help kids in bad situations get out of them. 

Mal, as queen, meets so many people she never thought she’d meet, the children of legends, literal demigods. She keeps up frequent correspondence with the queen of Arendelle. She loves, she’s loved.

Evie gets gray hairs and wrinkles, deep laugh lines around her cheeks and eyes. They look even more prominent when she smiles, which she does a lot. 

She looks beautiful. 

Jay travels the world with Gaston's son and sends home postcards from distant jungles and far-off frozen tundras. They come back to Auradon with a trunkload of souvenirs and matching rings. 

Carlos still has nightmares, but Jane is there to kiss him gently on the forehead and smooth his furrowed brow. He mentors a new generation of innovative kids and ushers in a thriving age of technology in Auradon. 

The future looks like this: Audrey and Mal drink coffee and tea together and talk like old friends, because that's what they are. After a magical incident at the dog shelter, a litter of three-headed puppies is born. Carlos finds a home for them with Mal's father. Uma keeps one foot on the Isle and one foot in Auradon— and eight tentacles in the ocean.

When a shadow passes over Auradon, it is nothing more than a dragon stretching her wings after a long day of queenly duties. 

And the world isn't perfect. There are monsters. There are old prejudices and new problems. But life goes on. Eventually, there are children attending Auradon Prep who have never known a world with a barrier. 

The future looks like this: Four friends who became a family watch their family get bigger. Fashions change and people age. Children grow up.

They're okay. 


End file.
